Boy Scouts Of America Files For Bankruptcy Amid Allegations Of Sexual Abuse
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – More than a century after the Boy Scouts of America first started, now the organization is filing bankruptcy.
The announcement comes as the organization faces hundreds of sexual abuse lawsuits.
The organization's President and CEO Roger Mosby said in part: "The BSA cares deeply about all victims of abuse and sincerely apologizes to anyone who was harmed during their time in Scouting."
The apology fell on deaf ears to local law firm Anderson and Associates in St. Paul. The firm represents Boy Scouts victims all over the country.
"We believe this was a calculated effort by the Boy Scouts to continue to keep secrets," attorney Josh Peck said.
Peck said he doesn't believe the Boy Scouts organization needs to file bankruptcy for financial reasons. He said filing bankruptcy allows the organization to put a stop to any litigation.
Still Peck said he doesn't want to discourage parents from sending their children to Boy Scouts. He just thinks there should be transparency, and names of accused perpetrators should be released. The law firm is also fighting for child protective protocols within the organization.
"I think they have good intentions but what they don't have is the ability to make this info public," he said. "[Correction] they've got the ability, they don't want to do it."
The local Boy Scout council told WCCO that any financial restructuring is limited to the national organization. They said all camps and activates will continue as planned.